Feed-water heater



G. T. FOSTER FEED WATER HEATER Filed April 27, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FESJL.

M/ITA/ESSES Amiga W F 192 G.T.FO$TER FEED WATER HEATER il pril 27 L925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 //v MENTOR ji s/g;

Patented Aug. 10, 1926. i 1

UNITED sTA'rss l,5%,932* PATENT OFFTQE Q GUY T. FOSTER, OF DAYTO1\T, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO LOCOMOTIVE ECONOMIZER COB,-

PORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.,

A. CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

FEED-WATER HEATER.

Application filed Apri1'27, 1925. Serial No. 26,167.

My invention relatesto improvementsinteed-water heaters, and particularly to feedwater heaters for locomotive engines. objects in view are efliciency, together with simplicity of structure and accessibility. In Letters Patent of the United States No. 1,331,845, granted on my application, a feed water heater for a locomotive engine is shown and described. My present invention constitutes an improvement in the structure of that heater.

In the accompanying drawings Fig I shows, partly in side elevation, partly in vertical medial and longitudinal section, the forward end of a locomotive boiler, equipped with the feed-water heater of my present invention. Inythis figure the forward end or head ofthe smoke-box is removed. Fig. 11 is a view in horizontal section, on the plane indicated by the line IIII, Fig. I.

The heater is arranged in the smoke-box 1 of the locomotive boiler 2. The boiler is shown to be of usual type penetrated by tubes 10 for, the passage of hot gases and smoke. These tubes extend from the firebox at the rear (not shown) to the smokebox 1, at the front. From the smoke-box centrally and above, the smoke-stack 5 leads, and within the smoke-box the smoke-stack extension 4: and the steam-exhaust 3, aligned with the smoke-stack, direct and impel the stream of smoke through the smoke-stack. These are familiar features, and require no further description.

According to my present invention a certain partitioning within the smoke-box causes the stream of the products of combustion, advancing from the boiler-fines, to divide. on a medial andvertical line, and to flow'forward in two branches, spread apart laterally at either side of the smoke-box. Reaching the anterior end of the smoke-box, these divided branches turn inward, meet, and then flow rearward in a united, centrally arranged stream. This united, rearward-flowing stream comes at length under the influence of the jet of fluid projected from the steam-exhaust 8. Caught up by this, the direction of flow is changed, and the stream of gases is swept out through the smoke-stack.

Such being the stream-flow, the units which make upmy feed-water heater are so placed as to effect relatively great absorption'of-heat from the-fiowing gases, and at The Y the same time to present relatively little ob ,struction to the flow. And the units are so situated that they themselves form part of the partition structure, by which the course of flow is defined.

My improvedheater includes three units, consisting each of a header and of circulation pipes extending from the header. The headers'are designated 6, 6, and 16, and the circulation pipes 7, 7, and 17. The units are placed with their headers arranged forwardly, and their circulation pipes extending horizontally, in rearward direction. The circulation pipes are preferably, though not necessarily, of Field type, in which the outgoing and returning streams are arranged concentrically, one surrounding the other. The circulation of water within each of the units may be controlled by internal partitions within the headers, and in a manner well known to the art, so that the stream will circulate once or as many times as may be desired through the circulation tubes.

Two of these three units are arranged at the forward end andon either side of the smoke-box, the thirdis arranged to rearward of the steam exhaust and smoke-stack and on the mid-line of the boiler.

' Provision is made in any suitable and preferred manner for supplying water to these three units. I have in the drawings indicated that water flows through the three units in series. To thisend, pipe connections 23 and Qt are shown, through which water is circulated through the two forward units. The delivery pipe 241 from the forward units constitutes the supply pipe to the rearward unit. The supply connection for the rearward unit is indicated at 25, and the delivery connection at 26. From the tie livery connection 26 the heated water reaches pipe 28 which leads to the boiler.

Two vertically standing partition plates 9, spaced apart, extend, one on either side of the central vertical plane of the boiler, their rear edges engage the header 16 of the rearwardly arranged heater unit, and their forward edges stand at an interval to rearward of the headers 6 of the two forwardly arranged heater units. They rise from the bottom of the smoke-box to a horizontally arranged partition plate 8. The plate 8 em tends from side to side, and along its oppo site edges is united to the side walls of the smoke-box. In this particular installation lie a curtain wall 30 is introduced, defining in the upper part of the structure a space in front of the boiler proper, and to rearward of the smoke-box. The aforesaid plate 8 extends forwardly from the curtain wall 30 toward the front end of the smoke-box, as far as may be found desirable. In the exemplilication given, the plate 8 extends to the headers 6 of the forwardly placed heater units. It will be perceived that these partitions 8 and 9, together with the headers of the heater units, define the course of the stream of hot gases which emerge from the boiler fines 10, and cause the stream to flow in the course already indicated.

The header 16 of the rearwardly arranged unit is in Fig. II shown to be of essentially triangular shape in plan, and is so symmetrically arranged that its rearwardly projecting angle cuts the advancing stream of hot gases and divides it. The circulation tubes 17 of this rearwardly placed heater unit conveniently extend into the boiler tubesthe circulation tubes 7 of the two forwardly placed heater units extend from their headers rearward into the two branches of the advancing stream. The branch streams swerve laterally and pass between th tubes 7 of these forwardly placed heater units, to meet and turn and flow in a single united stream, rearward between the two plates 9.

The plates 9 are at their forward edges extensible and retractible, and to that end are provided with extensions 19. Union of extensions 19 with plates 9 themselves may conveniently be effected by bolts 20 and as provision for the extensibility defined, the bolt-holes in one or both parts may be elongated into slots 21. This adjustable feature permits minute variation of th effective length of the partition walls 9, and by making adaptation here to the particular condition of service, the best condition of draft may be established and in substantially all cases the efliciency of the locomotive may appreciably be increased.

A screen 22 is provided in the passageway, to effect the breaking up of large cinders. This screen is arranged in best position across the passageway between plates 9, and perpendicularly to the line of flow. This screen 22 is shown to be immediately carried by the extensions 19 of the side plates. This screenin its particular structure and arrangement is made the subjectmatter of a divisional application for Let ters Patent, Serial No. 121,326, filed July 9th, 1926.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a locomotive construction the combination, with a smoke-b0x adapted to receive from the rear a stream of hot gases, and provided above, and intermediate its length, with an upwardly opening smokestack, a feed-water heater unit including a header with rearwardly extending 'circulation pipes, arranged centrally within the smoke-box, to the rear of the smokestack, and constituting a dividing member,

effecting bifurcation of an advancing stream of products of combustion, and two additional units includin each a header with rearwardly extending circulation pipes, symmetrically arranged within the smoke-box on either side and at its forward end, the circulation pipes of the two lastnamed units extending into the branches of the bifurcated stream.

2. In a locomotive construction the combination, with a smoke-box adapted to receive from the rear a stream of hot gases, and provided intermediate its length and above with an upwardly opening smokestack, a feed-water heater including a header with rearwardly extending circulation pipes, arranged centrally within the smokebox, to the rear of the smoke-stack, and constituting a dividing member, effecting bifurcation of an advancing stream of products of combustion, and two extensible plates arranged within, one on either side of the medial plane of said smoke-box, and'extending forwardly from said header, and dividing the space within the smoke-box into two lateral forwardly leading passageways for the bifurcated stream of products of combustion and one central return passageway communicating at its forward end with said lateral passageways and at its rear end with said smoke-stack, the intensity of the draft through said pas sageways being responsive to the degree of extension of said plates.

3. In a locomotive structure the combination of a tubular boiler, a smoke-box into which the boiler tubes open, the said smokebox being provided above, and intermediate its length, with a smoke-stack, and a feedwater heater composed of three units, one unit including a header medially arranged within th smoke-box and circulation tu es extending rearwardly from said header and into the tubes of the boiler, said unit constituting a dividing member, effecting bifurcation of the stream of products of combustion advancing from the boiler tubes, and the other two units of the heater being arranged one in each branch of the stream divided by th first unit.

4:. In a locomotive structure the combination of a tubular boiler, a smoke-box into which the boiler tubes open, the said smokebox being provided above, and intermediate its length, with a Smokestack, a horizontal plate dividing the space within the smoke-box into upper and lower chambers, with boiler tubes and smoke-stack in communication with the lower chamber, a feed water heater unit including a header with communicating anteriorly, the boiler tubes 10 opening to the lateral passageways at their.

posterior ends, and the centralv passageway at its posterlor end opening to said smokestack.

In testimonywhereof I have hereunto 15 set my hand.

GUY T. FOSTER. 

